Roberto Mancini: "Man City's missed signings cost title chance."

Roberto Mancini says Manchester City would still be challenging for the Premier League and Champions League titles had he been able to sign his principal targets last summer, BBC reports.

"We would probably be at the top... probably also in a Champions League quarter-final," the City manager said.

"We had a chance to get three or four players that would have improved our team but now it is finished with."

And he added rivals Manchester United "continued to improve their team".

All five top targets identified by Mancini last summer opted against joining City.

But although Mancini is proud of that result, he is not predicting a repeat on Monday - and accepts that United will be worthy champions.

"Six-one is in history," he said. "We can talk about this for another 200 years, but it is impossible to do this another time.

"We know we can beat them [on the day] because they are not better than us. We need to go there thinking we are like them, that we are a strong team like them.

"But they deserve to win this title."